“Two fairies embracing in a landscape with a swan” Hans Zatka ca. 1900

her glimmering wings are as light as a feather 

and the weight of a thousand words 

unspoken. she lays me down in a flower bed, the soft 

skin masks the thorns beneath the surface 

we choose to ignore. feet submerge under the water 

like a baby’s head, the birth of a new life 

which we pretend has begun. she embraces me 

in her sun, the sun that makes the birds flock to 

her.  in the flowers i pretend to be a swan, faithful 

to the lord and to the woman i love most. her wings 

spread lifting her into the bountiful shades of blue 

as the moon comes to take her place.